


Christmas Wisdom

by LetoaSai



Series: StrifeHart Fluff [33]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Time, Lights, M/M, Special hand made stockings, Traditions, santa, siblings on the way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21867865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetoaSai/pseuds/LetoaSai
Summary: Cloud enjoyed making Christmas enchanting. He liked the decorating and the cookie making. He wanted nothing more than to make Ventus and Vanitas' first christmas with them the best they ever had.
Relationships: Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife
Series: StrifeHart Fluff [33]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1108581
Comments: 29
Kudos: 92





	Christmas Wisdom

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts

“Making Christmas, Making Christmas!” Sora sang while Cloud dug more boxes out of the crawl space. He was waiting eagerly to help drag the boxes to the living room where others already waited. 

“Making Christmas?” Ventus asked. “What’s that mean?” 

Cloud could hear all of Sora’s excitement in his voice. The boy was most likely bouncing up and down in sheer delight. 

“Papa’s pulling out all the christmas decorations. He puts the lights up every year as a surprise for daddy and when daddy gets home we’ll decorate more and grandpa will bring our tree!” 

Cloud dragged out another box with a sigh. Every year they got a little more stuff and while it might have been a pain, he wouldn't have it any other way. Christmases were a little more elaborate than the first ones he'd shared with Leon but it was worth it to see the kids so happy. 

“Oh.” Ventus frowned a little. “We don’t do that.” 

Cloud put a hand on Ventus’ shoulder. “You know, Squall didn’t either. One of his first christmases was with me and our tree was tiny and there as only one strand of lights and it was one my my best christmases ever. I’m sure everyone is really excited this year to be able to share this one with you and Vanitas.” 

Ventus’ smile turned bashful and without a word he picked up one of the boxes to take to the living room where the other kids were waiting. 

“Can we decorate now?” Roxas asked, sitting on the chair Cloud had already shoved out of the way to make room for the tree. 

“Yep. You can do the mantel if your careful. The stockings too and you can put the lights on the bushes outside while i’m putting the others on the house.” Cloud said, setting two more boxes down. 

“I thought only those fancy stores put up lights.” Vanitas muttered. He’d been fascinated by the house down the street that already had their lights up. “Anyone can do it, right?” 

“Yep.” Cloud said. “My very first christmas with Squall we only had lights on one window.” 

The lids to the boxes were opened as the kids tore into them. The older twins looked less sure but were handed things anyway. Snow globes and garland were pulled out with wreaths, figures of santa and little ceramic trees. 

“Ven, can you help?” Riku asked, struggling to hang one of the wreaths on the nail there for that purpose. 

“Oh, yeah.” Ventus appeared, the two inches he had on Riku really coming in handy. 

“You do this every year?” Vanitas asked. “Or is this year different?” 

“Every year!” Sora cheered.”It’s christmas time, silly. Papa starts the decorating and daddy comes home and he helps with the tree. He says papa’s the better decorator.” 

Cloud laughed and didn’t bother trying to explain to the kids that Leon enjoyed the wonder of coming home to lights and yummy smells just as much as they did. 

“Does every family do this?” Ventus asked, trying to figure out what was normal. 

“Many do. Some celebrate christmas, some don’t. Everyone has different family traditions, some don’t have any.” Cloud explained. “There’s no real wrong know to go about it.” 

“Are their other traditions here?” Vanitas asked. “Or is it just the decorating?” 

“We make cookies!” Sora said immediately. “Such yummy cookies.” 

Riku hummed his agreement, they were all looking forward to the baking. “Grandpop has a party too. It’s the night… it’s the night before christmas eve, right papa?” 

“Right.” Cloud agreed. 

“It’s on the airship.” Riku added and that put Vanitas in a cheerful mood. He’d visited the Highwind and few times now and loved it. 

“We stay the night too.” Roxas said. “At least we did last year. Had breakfast with grandpop and Valentine before coming home. Are we doing that again, papa?” 

“Probably.” Cloud agreed again. Airship quarters would be tight but it beat driving home after the party. 

The older twins looked in the boxes and fidgeted, caught between not knowing what to do and enjoying watching the other three pulling new things out of the boxes one at a time. 

“Found the stockings!” Roxas cheered. “Here Riku.” He passed Riku his stocking who went to hang it on a hook while Sora went to grab his. 

Ventus and Vanitas went quiet and had a look on their faces that Cloud was familiar with and hated. It was the look they got every time they saw something they _should_ have had but didn’t. They’d always known they’d gone without a lot of things growing up but seeing how much still rubbed them the wrong way. It made them feel inferior. 

They were embarrassed and didn’t know how to ask for one themselves. They didn’t know how, so they’d just keep quiet about it and suffered in silence. 

“Aerith made their stockings.” Cloud commented. “And you might have noticed that they match the boys blankets she made them. You might find in the next couple of days that your stockings will have appeared too.” 

“Hey…” Sora stared. “My stocking does match my blanky…” 

“Really Sora?” Riku snorted. “You only just noticed?” 

Sora shrugged. “We only see our stockings for christmas.” 

Roxas snickered but the way he held his own stocking said he hadn’t noticed before either. 

“We...get one too?” Vanitas asked quietly. 

“Of course you do.” Cloud smiled. “I know she’s making them. We’ll get them in plenty of time for christmas.” 

They were quiet for a few minutes, watching as Cloud pulled out the tree stand they’d be using later that night and Sora and Roxas chatted endlessly on how different it was from their old house even if they were using all the same stuff. 

“Papa.” Ventus muttered, tugging on Cloud’s sleeve. “Do you think…” 

Cloud gave him his full attention when he hesitated. The twins still had trouble asking for things they wanted. 

“Do you think we could have a stocking for Xion too?” he finally finished with a mumble. “I know we don’t know where she is yet. But we could...could still…” 

“I think that’s a really nice idea.” Cloud said, cutting off his growing panic. “Very thoughtful.” 

“Papa, what about Reiku?” Riku appeared by his side, eyes huge. He heard the idea and didn't want Reiku to be left out. “Can he have a stocking too? Daddy said we could take him presents because he can’t leave the hospital. Can he have a stocking?” 

“I will text aunt Aerith right this second.” Cloud said softly, sometimes wondering how he ended up with such kind children. “We won’t forget about Xion or Reiku. I promise.” He pulled out his phone and sent the text in front of them or they’d just ask again and again until he did. 

“What goes in a stocking?” Vanitas asked. 

“Little toys.” Sora grinned. “Like cards or legos or something. Riku got his sunglasses in his last year.” 

Roxas tipped over a box filled with more garland. “They also usually have a pair a socks in there too and an orange.” 

“An orange?” Vanitas blinked. “Like an orange? To eat?” 

“Yeah, it’s symbolic though i don’t remember why.” Cloud commented absently, texting with Aerith. These kids were going to have him googling that too. 

Riku grunted. “Santa can do what he wants.” 

“Santa?” Ventus frowned, exchanging a look with his twin. “What are you-” 

“Ventus! Vanitas!” Cloud said suddenly as he watched the older twins look skeptical. “Why don’t the two of you come help me untangle lights for the front of the house while the rest of you put the garland on the stair rail upstairs. Sound good?” 

“Yes!” Sora grinned, both he and Roxas grabbing handfuls of the fake green trimmings and dashing towards the stairs while Riku followed at a more sedate pace. 

Ventus and Vanitas stared at him, having heard something in his tone the others hadn’t noticed but they just clasped hands together for a second and followed Cloud. They paused to put on their coats and stepped out onto the front porch where the boxes of lights already sat. 

“Did i say something wrong?” Ventus asked in a whisper, already picking up on the vibes.

“We’re sorry.” Vanitas mumbled.

“Don’t be sorry.”Cloud said, sitting on the top step and gesturing for them to do the same. “You have nothing to be sorry about, i just wanted to explain something to you.” 

Both watched him carefully, expectantly. They sat and were so much more open to listening to what he wanted to say before they spiraled into the fear that they'd messed up. 

“I know you boys have had a hard start and you haven’t had much use for Santa.” Cloud said quietly. “But Riku and the twins still believe in Santa, and i’d appreciate it if you’d let them.” 

Vanitas frowned. “But he isn’t real. He doesn’t come give presents when your good. We tried really hard to be good and we..never…” 

“Maybe we weren’t good enough.” Ventus mumbled. 

Cloud’s heart dropped into his stomach, “No, babes.” Cloud said, reaching out to take Ventus’ hand because he was closer. “No, Santa isn’t like he is in the stories. Santa is a feeling.” 

Vanitas looked confused, “A feeling?” 

Cloud nodded. “That feeling you both had inside when you wanted us to make a stocking for Xion too. You wanted to included her. You wanted to share presents with her and make sure she had a wonderful christmas too. That’s the two of you being Santa.” 

“Oh…” Ventus seemed to absorb that.

“Sora, Roxas, and Riku still believe that Santa is a person and that’s just fine. Someday they’ll figure out that he’s not a person but a feeling, and they’ll be able to be someone’s Santa too.” Cloud said and smiled faintly when both twins nodded. “So thank you for keeping it a secret for now.” 

“We can do that.” Vanitas nodded. 

Ventus smiled, “Promise. Weren't not in trouble, right?" 

"Right." 

"Can we still help with the lights?”

“Of course you can.” Cloud grinned, thankful that the boys were so accepting of his explanation. He didn’t want to imagine the others crushed faces if they were to be told so blatantly that Santa didn’t exist. There was a brief moment where he feared the older children might argue with him, but they wanted their younger siblings to be happy too.

In three hours time they had the front of the house covered in lights. The three youngest wrapped all the bushes and Ventus and Vanitas decorated the porch. Cloud took the roof and had to tell the kids no less than half a dozen times to _leave the ladder alone_ , but it was worth it. 

It was starting to get dark and the lights really sparkled. The kids loved it and Ventus and Vanitas were delighted that _their_ house was now one of the pretty ones with lights. 

Cid was on his way with their christmas tree and Leon would be home soon too where the decorating could continue. It was one more tradition that Riku was happy to explain to his older brothers. The night they decorated the tree was filled with stories about the ornaments, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. The boys would hang candy canes and beg Vincent to make hot chocolate. Cloud didn’t want the kids to miss out on a second of it. 

It was really a shame Reiku was too sick to come home for a night and that Genesis was still looking for Xion. 

The second Leon got home he was pounced on by five children demanding that he take note of every bit of their decorating and informing him of the exciting stocking news. To his credit, Leon wandered the decorated areas and offered them the praise owed to them.

“Rain Cloud.” Leon said, finally escaping the children and cornering his husband in kitchen.

“Hey Lion.” Cloud greeted. “Pops should be here in about twenty minutes.” 

“Rain Cloud.” Leon muttered, inching forward to fist his hands in Cloud’s shirt. “There are lights on the house…” he said it in the same whisper he’d used years ago when he’d walked into his little apartment and found that Cloud had attempted to decorate. 

“Yes Squall, that is the tradition.” 

Leon cupped his face and drew him closer to kiss. “It’s beautiful.” 

“The boys helped.” 

“Your idea.” 

“Always is.” Cloud chuckled. “It’s your present every year.” 

Leon nodded. “And i still love it.” 

“I still love you.” 

“Sap.” Leon grinned, dragging him into another kiss. 

The sudden screech of excitement had them jumping apart and the noise told the one thing. Cid was early with the tree…

**Author's Note:**

> I skipped a few scenes that will be posted later but i couldn't miss some Christmas opportunities!
> 
> Also, do you guys like me posting this list down here or is it annoying?
> 
> Series Master List - in order, mostly. 
> 
> Out of Order  
> A Winning Distraction (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> Quiet Midnight (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> Radiant Christmas (in the middle of Out of Order)  
> First Dance  
> Until Monday  
> Repeat  
> Not enough treats  
> Wager  
> Calling Home (technically just before and just after Wager)  
> Renewals   
> Date Night  
> Sick Lions  
> Bad Memories  
> Not Perfect (could really fit in a few places, here is fine)  
> Patience  
> Long Weekends  
> Fever  
> Melee  
> Time will Tell  
> Rumble  
> Fortitude  
> A Day for Two  
> Summer Sun  
> Homemade  
> Moving on  
> Probably Haunted  
> The Night Before: by Kutikue  
> It’s only two more  
> Safeguard  
> Finding Sleep  
> Wishes  
> Professional Aid  
> Hope: by Jokul_Nightfury_Frost  
> Christmas Wisdom


End file.
